


Melody

by BeeAnka



Series: Sing Me A Song Of Despair [9]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: Gen, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Verbal Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-09
Updated: 2017-12-09
Packaged: 2019-02-12 12:19:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12959052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeeAnka/pseuds/BeeAnka
Summary: Mukuro reminisces, and spends most of her day with Junko.





	1. Uno

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My gf drew a Despair Sisters tickle fight: https://inacron.tumblr.com/post/168333851226 (just pretend it's out of context! it's cute!)
> 
> Soooo... over 13,000 words. I Want To Die But I'm Proud Too.
> 
> Like last time, it has two chapters, the second of which I will post right after this one unless AO3 or I goof up somehow. It's too long otherwise!

* * *

 

_"I hate you."_

_A loud thunderclap outside only accentuates the bitter muttering. Mukuro strokes her sister's hair while the latter is ranting, hissing the words out like bile. She hopes none of the six other girls who are sharing the room with the two of them can hear them, the only privacy they're allowed is a shallow curtain surrounding their bed. The storm raging outside should be loud enough to mask most of their talking though._

_"I hate it, I hate it, I hate it. I hate the stupid kids here. I hate the stupid adults even more. And I hate you the most. Stupid Mukuro_..."

_Junko stops pressing her face into Mukuro's chest and looks up to her with a tear-stained face. There is a stab of pain she feels in her heart upon seeing her sister's tears, and she hugs Junko tighter to her._

_"I'll never forgive you for this, Mukuro-chan. Never, never, never."_

_Mukuro closes her eyes, listening to the rain thudding on the nearby window, then opens them again. "We had to get off the streets, Junko-chan." The words are hard to say -- not that this is the first time she says them -- and she feels ashamed of herself, but she knows it's the right thing to do. "We've been cold and hungry. It's dangerous. If we were outside right now, we'd be in the middle of a storm. And-"_

_"We can do what we want out there. We were doing fine." Junko snarls, her voice nearly breaking._

_It hurts to hear her sister like this._

_"You can't become a model on the streets." Mukuro says, and it hurts even more to... lecture her sister. She doesn't want to do that, knows she isn't nearly as smart as Junko, but she can't think of it as anything other than that. "But when someone adopts you, you really can do anything you want."_

_"Stop talking like you're a stupid adult! And what do you mean 'adopts you'?" Her sister's lips tremble, and it isn't obvious whether it's grief or rage. "You're going too. Or do you think you can just drop me off here and run away?!" Junko's eyes widen at the idea, and Mukuro realizes she has to clarify._

_"I'm not doing that!" Mukuro exclaims in a hushed tone, horrified at the mere thought. "I'd never leave you, but maybe they'll split us up..."_

_Junko visibly calms down. "I won't let them," she murmurs. "I'll never let anyone split us up."_

_"I don't think we can stop them if they want to." Mukuro says, feeling a sting in her eyes at her sister's words. She suppresses the urge to cry. There is nothing in the world she fears more than getting separated from Junko, but she isn't one for keeping harsh truths to herself. And Junko doesn't want to be coddled._

_"I can do anything." Junko insists. "Even when it's convincing people to adopt someone as stupid and ugly as you. I can do it."_

_"If there's anyone who can convince some stupid adult to adopt a second kid, it's you." Mukuro agrees with a smile._

_There is silence for a bit, the only sound in the room being her sister's breathing. Somehow, for a second, she can't hear even the storm over it. Mukuro closes her eyes again. Feeling Junko's body heat against her skin, feeling her heartbeat, stroking her lovely red hair... it always soothes her a little._

_"I don't want to have smelly, stupid parents again." Junko murmurs. "I'll kill them this time. I'll make a bomb and put it under their car."_

_Mukuro opens her eyes. She supposes she should probably give her a gentle reprimand for that comment. "That's not a good idea, Junko-chan, we'd just be on the street again. And you don't know how to make bombs..."_

_Junko ignores her. "I wish I would've killed them."_

_"I know," Mukuro says, pressing a kiss to her sister's hair. "I wouldn't have stopped you."_

_"That's 'cause they never loved you." Junko says. She giggles, but there is no humor in it. Mukuro hopes it isn't too loud. "'Cause you're weird. 'Cause you're messed up just like me. 'Cause I can hide it better."_

_"Doesn't matter." Mukuro mumbles. "They never mattered."_

_Junko giggles, this time sounding delighted. Mukuro is glad to hear a positive emotion. "Who matters?"_

_"You." Mukuro answers. "Only you."_

_"Us." Junko corrects, and Mukuro feels warmth spreading through her at the words. "Only we matter, the two of us. Everyone else can go ahead and die."_

_There is another silence._

_"I won't kill whoever adopts us," Junko decides, her voice suddenly taking on a more mature edge. "They're just big, stupid tools. It's dumb to throw a tool in the trash before you're done building. But after I'm done..."_

_"They'll die in despair." Mukuro finishes, smiling at her sister._

_Junko smiles back. "Does that mean you've finally accepted it? Being the Despair Sisters?"_

_"It's a really silly name, Junko-chan. That's the only objection I've ever raised." Mukuro mumbles. She doesn't really get the whole despair thing to begin with. How can you get happy from being sad? Not to mention, there's plenty of times when Junko is sad but doesn't get happy from it. She doesn't understand at all, but if it makes her sister happy..._

_"What do you mean 'objection'? You're way too small to use big words like that, sis. And dumb too! And... and like you have room to talk! You've been calling yourself a knife corpse or something for ages now!"_

_"I thought it was cool." Mukuro tries not to sulk, but she tends to get annoyed when Junko makes fun of her name. "Your names don't even mean anything cool, you know..."_

_"But they fit me, don't they?"_

_"It's a pretty name. Of course it fits you."_

_"You think everything about me is pretty!" Junko argues, but she looks happy._

_"It's the truth," Mukuro says, completely serious. "You're the prettiest girl in the world."_

_Junko makes a noise of delight. "I am! And lots of people are gonna know that real-"_

_"Hey, shut up! I'm trying to sleep here!"_

_Junko starts shaking with anger at being interrupted. "I hate it here," she hisses, tears forming in her eyes again. "I hate it."_

_"I'll find out who that was and make her pay tomorrow." Mukuro mutters. Just when her sister's started feeling a bit better too..._

_Junko sniffs, giving her a hopeful look. "Hold her down for me. I'm gonna scratch her so bad..."_

_"I'll punch her too." Mukuro promises, then frowns when Junko lets out a yawn. "It's late, Junko-chan. We should go to sleep." She says that as sternly as she is capable of, though considering it's her little sister she's talking to it isn't a very high amount of sternness._

_"But I'm comfy. Don't wanna get up." Junko whines, pressing her face into Mukuro's chest again as an act of defiance._

_"Fine. You can sleep next to me." Or rather, on her. Mukuro sighs. She is barely ever able to refuse Junko anything. Carefully, she reaches down and pulls the blanket over her sister's, and her own, body._

_With Junko clinging to her, Mukuro closes her eyes. She can feel her sister's breathing, can hear the rainfall against the window, and when another thunderclap roars outside, she feels a sharp inhale of breath on her neck. She keeps one of her hands on her sister's back, and moves the other one upwards to stroke Junko's hair again._

_Mukuro hates the orphanage... or institution, as they call it here, too, but it's preferable to being out there right now. If not for her own sake, then at least for Junko's._

_Others might say she is unfortunate, or look at her with pity, but it's wasted on her. Whether she's a homeless street rat, an orphan, or lives in the biggest mansion in the entire world doesn't matter. As long as her precious little sister is with her, she's happy. And how pathetic she is, nearly bawling her eyes out just because of Junko's reassuring words earlier._

_She would try being with her sister even if she wasn't adopted by the same family, of course. She would find a way. But still..._

_If Junko says they get adopted by the same family, it will happen. Junko can do anything. She's the same girl who once stole a businessman's wallet, and upon being caught, managed to get more than double of the money when they went to a nearby ATM after some strategic tears and a ridiculous made up story. She even had the gall to steal his wallet again afterwards. After that, it almost felt like they were doing alright on the streets, didn't even go to sleep hungry every night, but that obviously couldn't last forever._

_Mukuro smiles._

_Junko is her entire world._

_And she'll punch anyone who makes her upset, no matter who it is._

 

-

 

Mukuro opens her eyes.

How odd. She doesn't usually dream, not of the past, and especially not of anything pleasant. Well, moderately pleasant.

She looks down, smiling as she sees the peaceful form of her sister pressed against her. It's basically the same position they were in just when her dream ended. A strange coincidence.

Although the two of them might have fallen asleep in that position, which could be the reason for her dream to begin with.

It doesn't really matter. This is the first time Junko and her have slept in the same bed since the day she returned from Fenrir, and she's just happy they're doing it again.

Mukuro gently strokes her sister's hair. The strawberry blonde is beautiful, of course, but sometimes she misses the old red. Closing her eyes, she is determined to enjoy their mutual, if clumsy, embrace every second she can.

The sound of the alarm comes all too quickly.

"Turn it off." The sleepy groan comes a second before Mukuro does so. Junko groans again, starting to cling more tightly to her than before.

"We need to get up sooner or later." Mukuro says, trying to keep the amusement out of her voice. Junko is only rarely a morning person, usually when she has a fashion show early during the day.

"Later then." Junko mumbles.

"Alright." Mukuro agrees. Seems even after all these years, she still doesn't have it in her to refuse anything Junko asks of her. Not that it was a request or anything, but still... if it _was_ a request, she wouldn't be able to say no. "I've dreamed about the past."

Mukuro isn't sure why she tells her sister that. After all, Junko rarely cares to talk about when they were younger, and when she does she always brings it up on her own. That's why it comes as a surprise when she hears the question. "What about?"

"Our first night at the institution." Mukuro answers in a quiet murmur. "Do you remember? It was storming and we were cuddling in my bed."

Junko scoffs. "I remember, yeah. I was fucking pathetic back then."

The disgust in Junko's voice causes Mukuro to frown. "You were just a child," she says, in as much of a gentle tone as she is capable of. "You being upset was understandable."

"You're not even a day older than me, stupid." Junko mutters. "And you knew why we had to go there. So don't bring age into this."

"I'm the older sister though, even if it's just by less than a day. That means I had to be more responsible..."

Junko lets out a non-committal grunt. "The past sucks. I don't wanna talk about it." She sits up and stretches, yawning, then touches her hair. "This is a fucking mess. Look forward to combing and brushing it, sis. You can apply my make-up too, since you're here already."

"I would love to." Mukuro mumbles, smiling. She means it. Usually she isn't a big fan of applying make-up to her sister, but right now it sounds like a great idea. She only hopes she won't mess it up. She has to wonder though why doesn't Junko go to sleep with her hair down? Maybe it reminds her of the past too much.

The two of them proceed to get ready for class, Mukuro excusing herself for a little to brush her teeth and get dressed in her own room.

Junko gives her a critical look when she returns, her eyes resting at where her bow usually is. "Ishimaru is gonna throw a fit when he sees you without a bow." She says, obviously amused at the prospect.

"Actually, I was going to ask..." Mukuro fidgets, smiling nervously. "If I could borrow one of your pink ones?"

"Really now?" Junko seems to find the idea funny for some reason. She almost never wears Hope's Peak Academy's uniform, and seeing it on her this morning has given Mukuro the idea. The pink bow she's wearing isn't part of the uniform, but Junko likes taking liberties. "Since when does my big sis like pink?"

"I don't mind if it's just the bow," Mukuro says. It's not the first time she has worn it either, considering Junko likes putting her into her own clothes on random whims sometimes. "And," she mumbles, feeling embarrassed. "I want to match with you..."

"Awww!" Junko coos. "When did my big sis get so cute? Sure, knock yourself out!"

Mukuro's smile ceases to be nervous at the response. Junko even puts the bow on her personally.

After that, it's time for combing. Mukuro tries to do an extra good job this time, though considering she always tries to do that she's probably just fooling herself by thinking she's putting even more effort into it.

Junko doesn't comment when she corrects some things afterwards, and Mukuro almost has the feeling she's done better than yesterday. Hair brushing comes next, though afterwards her sister barely has the need to correct anything. Mukuro feels proud of herself, just a little.

"Now it's your turn!" Junko suddenly says, taking the comb and brush out of Mukuro's hands while getting up from her make-up chair.

Mukuro blinks. "Are you sure, Junko-chan?" She regrets asking it right away. It's true her sister hasn't combed or brushed her hair for... years, but why bother questioning it now?

"Oh?" Junko exchanges the hair tools for two identical ones. She turns to Mukuro and smiles thinly. "You don't want me to?"

"I do!" Mukuro almost yells. "I was just surprised, that's all." She holds back the apology, remembering Junko's irritation from yesterday.

Junko snickers. "Then sit down, sis. I'm gonna work my magic on you."

Mukuro sits down.

Having her sister work on her feels nice, so nice that Mukuro has to suppress the urge to close her eyes and sigh in contentment. It's probably weird, but doing that would feel sort of... disrespectful, almost. When Junko is done with the hair though, she has another idea.

"Y'know what? I feel like putting some make-up on you too."

Mukuro can't bring herself to say anything, or even dislike the idea that much to begin with. She's in too good of a mood to let it bother her. When Junko is done with the make-up, she pulls her in front of a mirror and hums.

Despite the make-up and her hair getting some treatment as well, Mukuro can't really spot that many differences from her usual appearance, but Junko is the expert.

"Wow, Mukuro-chan." She can see her sister grin in the mirror next to her. "If I'm preparing you enough, you can actually manage to look pretty. Too bad about the bandages, but they kind of add to the look!"

"I'm not pretty..." Mukuro argues weakly, blushing.

"I am the Ultimate Fashionista." Junko says, her voice sounding kind of like when she's doing her royalty shtick, though it's more subdued than usually. "You will find that when I declare someone to be pretty, it is indisputable fact!"

"Even if I was," Mukuro mumbles. "I would still not be nearly as pretty as you, Junko-chan."

"Considering I'm the most beautiful girl in this school, that'd be impossible." Junko says, rolling her eyes.

"You're the most beautiful girl in the entire world."

Junko hums. "I did make Japan's Top Three last year, so let's see how I'm doing this year."

"You should have won last year..."

"It's cute how you're so hung up on that!" Junko cackles, then sighs, shrugging. "Lots of people have awful taste so what do you expect? Anyway, you reminded me of something. Give me your phone."

Mukuro pulls it out of her blazer's pocket and hands it over.

"I'm changing my name on there," Junko explains. "Honestly, the gag got old ages ago. How come you haven't changed it?"

"I didn't want you to get annoyed," Mukuro mutters. "It's not really a big deal."

"So loyal." Junko says yet sounds kind of annoyed, handing the phone back to her. Mukuro looks at the name.

**Junko-chan**

She smiles. "I really love your name."

"What a random thing to blurt out all of a sudden." Junko says, but returns the smile all the same. "By the way, you're gonna cancel your talk with Sayaka-chan today. I wanna go to the mall, just the two of us." The smile gets even brighter. "Today I want my big sis all to myself!"

"That sounds great." Mukuro replies. She's a bit disappointed that she can't spend time with Sayaka today, but spending it with Junko more than makes up for it. "Are we eating lunch together too?"

Junko frowns at the question. "Nah, I have to discuss some things with the Ultimate Bowlcut. Feel free to eat with your loser friends." She almost sounds like she's disappointed she can't spend lunch break together, but it's probably just wishful thinking.

"Alright, if that's what you want." Mukuro pauses. She doesn't trust that Someya boy in the least, but Junko knows what she's doing. There is another important thing to bring up anyway. "When do you want me to begin spying on Sakakura directly?"

"I'll get back to you on that one." Junko answers, almost like she's dismissing the subject. "For now just do some extensive research about him. I'm pretty sure we already know most of what's there to know about that thug, but eh! Y'know!"

Mukuro nods. "I will get it done."

"I never doubted it! Now let's go to class! I seriously don't wanna sit through detention today."

Mukuro follows Junko out of her dorm room and to the classroom like a shadow. She probably won't be able to concentrate on classes a whole lot today, she's too excited about spending time with her sister. It's rarely happened since she came back from Fenrir, so she wants to savor every moment she can.

She hopes this is going to become a more permanent thing. She understands Junko still hasn't forgiven her for leaving, but she misses being closer to her. Misses her more affectionate little sister.

It's too bad about Sayaka... she's been looking forward to that conversation. Still, there's lunch.

Mukuro gives Sayaka, and Asahina she supposes, a short wave after entering the classroom, Junko doing the same. Both Sayaka and Asahina wave back. She sits down next to Naegi, and exchanges greetings and some shallow pleasantries with him. She does all of that, but her mind is somewhere else, almost daydreaming.

She really can't wait to spend her day with Junko.

 

-

 

"Hey, Ikusaba-chan! Are you eating that?!"

Mukuro looks up, her thoughts scattering. "Did you say something, Asahina-san?"

"Geez, how many times are you gonna space out today?! You're barely touching your food!" Asahina huffs as if she feels personally insulted by such a thing. "You gotta eat to keep your strength up! How else are you gonna stay healthy?"

"I think someone who eats doughnuts every day shouldn't talk about staying healthy," Sayaka teases. Asahina makes an offended sound, and the idol winks at Mukuro inconspicuously. "Aoi-chan is right though. You should eat more, Mukuro-san!"

"I suppose I'm just not a big fan of the food I've ordered. That's probably why." Mukuro lies.

"Do you want one of my sandwiches for some of your lunch in return?" Naegi offers, while Asahina is muttering about how she doesn't eat doughnuts every day and how they are absolutely healthy in the background. "I like Sukiyaki, so I wouldn't mind at all."

"That sounds fine." Mukuro agrees. She might as well, sandwiches don't take as long to eat, which means she has more time to think about Junko without anyone bothering her. They trade, and she bites into it and chews. "It's good," she says, almost surprised. "Did you make it yourself?"

It's not the biggest compliment one can give, but Naegi still looks so embarrassed it's like she's just called him the greatest person who ever lived. "Yeah," he says. "I've often made lunch for Komaru, my little sister, so I guess I'm pretty good at making sandwiches." He scratches his cheek. "I'm kind of useless at most other things though."

A little sister? How come he hasn't mentioned that before? Although maybe he has, and it was before Mukuro started paying attention to him. She feels kind of embarrassed at that thought.

"I can totally see you as a dependable older brother!" Asahina nearly shouts, like it's a shocking revelation that just occured to her.

"Naegi-kun does seem like that kind of person." Sayaka muses. "Geez, now I really wanna try that sandwich. Mukuro-san, do you wanna trade half of that for half of my egg toast?"

"Of course." Mukuro couldn't say no to that even if it was that strange looking avocado toast. She trades with Sayaka, giving Naegi a calculating look meanwhile.

"Wow, this is amazing!" Sayaka gushes after taking a generous bite. "I'm gonna hire you as my personal sandwich maker, Naegi-kun. All idols could use one of those."

"Is that a real job...?" Naegi asks, unsure on whether Sayaka is joking around or not. Mukuro isn't sure herself.

"If it's not, it should be!"

"Hey, I want some too!" Asahina complains. "Why're you holding out on me, Naegi? Is it 'cuz I gave you a small doughnut the other day? I didn't know you held grudges!"

"What?!" Naegi exclaims, horrified. "I didn't- I'm not...!" He sighs in a resigned fashion. "Do you want half of mine?"

"Geez, Aoi-chan. You can have half of my half. Don't steal Naegi-kun's lunch for yourself." Sayaka admonishes before Asahina can grab the boy's sandwich, causing the swimmer to get a sullen look on her face.

"But half of a half is only! Like..." Asahina's face scrunches up while she thinks. "Like, an eighth or something!"

"It's a quarter." Sayaka says, puzzled. "How did you come up with eighth?"

"If you give me half of yours and Ikusaba-chan has the other half, then uh... she gave you half of her half, and if you gave me half of yours... that means you'd have a quarter and uh... four times two is..." Asahina pauses. "It's not my fault if you're not smart enough for the math! You have a quarter and if you break that in half it means I get an eighth! It's logic!"

Sayaka blinks. "I'm not following you, Aoi-chan... more importantly, Mukuro-san didn't have a half at the start. She gave me a half of her entire sandwich."

"Whatever!" Asahina snaps, her face flushing red. "It's less! That's what matters."

"Maizono-san gave you half of hers, which means you two have the same amount either way." Naegi points out, though his meek tone makes it sound like a suggestion rather than simple fact.

Asahina seems annoyed at the logic, but eventually sighs. "Geez! You're too nice, Sayaka-chan. Take one of my doughnuts." She holds out her paper bag.

"Don't mind if I do!" Sayaka chirps, reaching inside. She pulls out a doughnut coated with chocolate.

"Hey, that's the biggest one in there...!" Asahina shouts, scandalized, and Sayaka laughs in response.

While Sayaka and Asahina start bickering, though mostly in good humor, Mukuro turns to Naegi. "Tell me about your little sister." Noticing it sounds like a demand rather than a request, she adds: "If you want to."

It's probably an awkward request to make to begin with, but Naegi seems more than happy to do so, only getting embarrassed once when he lets slip his sister is taller than him. Mukuro supposes Komaru sounds like a good girl all in all, though Naegi is most likely biased since he's talking about his little sister. When he mentions the girl is a 'Sayaker' though, she has to interrupt to ask what he means.

"That's what Maizono-san's biggest fans call themselves." Naegi explains alongside a nervous laugh, as though he's embarrassed for his sister.

"I love all my precious Sayakers!" Sayaka chimes in, apparently having been listening to their conversation. "Do you think she would like an autograph, Naegi-kun?"

"She would, b-but you don't have to..."

"It's nothing! It's the least I could do for such a dedicated fan." Sayaka takes out a small notebook and writes something down with her glittery pink pen, then passes it to Naegi. Mukuro leans in to look at the piece of paper. It says: 'Fly high, reach for the stars. I believe in you!'; Sayaka's put her name under the writing and doodled hearts around the entire thing.

"Thanks a lot, Maizono-san! Komaru is gonna lose her mind when she sees this." Naegi says, smiling brightly.

Mukuro smiles as well. She wouldn't mind getting such an autograph either, and the thought immediately embarrasses her.

"I'm gonna write something for Naegi's little sis too!" Asahina declares. "Can I borrow your book thingy, Sayaka-chan?"

"Uh... you really don't have to, Asahina-san." Naegi tries to discourage her, but Asahina isn't having any of it.

"I love my fans too!" Asahina says, ignoring that Naegi hasn't mentioned anything about whether his little sister is a fan of hers or not. She writes something down and tears it out of the book, then hands it to Naegi. Mukuro looks at it as well. It says: 'If there is a dream or a goal that you want you have to go for it 100 PERCENT. Give all you have for the goals that you have!!!'; Asahina's put her name under the writing, as well as doodled a bunch of fish that look... well, she certainly isn't the Ultimate Artist. Still, the gesture is sweet and it's actually a pretty nice, motivational sentiment.

Sayaka leans forward, looking at the piece of paper. She giggles. "Aoi-chan, you're just quoting Alia Atkinson! That's not how autographs work."

So much for giving Asahina credit.

"It's a good quote!" Asahina argues. "You think I can come up with something this good on my own? I'll just leave the inspirational quotes to other people. I'm a swimmer!"

"Alia Atkinson is a swimmer too, Aoi-chan!" Sayaka says, now laughing.

"I know that! You only know her 'cuz of me to begin with! I just meant... ugh! Whatever!"

"It's a great quote, Asahina-san. I'm sure Komaru is gonna like it." Naegi assures.

Asahina smiles. "Thanks, Naegi! You're actually a good guy!"

"Has he ever given any indication that he wasn't?" Mukuro asks, feeling confused by Asahina's statement.

"Huh? Not really, no. I just always say what's on my mind!" Asahina pauses as though she's considering something. "Why don't you give Naegi's little sis an autograph too, Ikusaba-chan!"

Mukuro blinks. "I don't think soldiers give autographs. And I'm not really famous." Well, not _publickly_ famous.

Asahina doesn't listen though, forcing the small notebook and the pen on her. She gives Naegi a look, and he shrugs in response. 'Go ahead,' is what it seems to mean. Mukuro thinks for a moment. She doesn't really know what to write, doesn't know any inspirational quotes or is able to come up with anything of the sort. Still, she writes down the first thing she can think of. It looks kind of silly, being written by Sayaka's glittery pink pen, but she supposes it doesn't matter. She hands it to the boy after putting her name under the writing, hoping the lack of doodles isn't a problem.

Naegi looks at the piece of paper. "'Always check your magazine'." He reads out loud, obviously confused at the words. "You mean... like fashion magazines?"

"Um." Mukuro feels awkward all of a sudden. She feels she has to make something up. "Yes. Junko-chan is in a lot of them... so if your sister reads them she will learn a lot of useful things."

"Makes sense to me!" Asahina interjects. For once Mukuro is grateful for the girl's cluelessness.

Sayaka starts snickering though, and Mukuro gives her a pointed glance. The idol stops snickering, biting her lower lip instead.

Naegi just looks confused, but is tactful enough not to push it.

By the time lunch is over, Mukuro has managed to eat her half of the sandwich as well as some more of her Sukiyaki. Granted, she's done so mostly because of Asahina's and Sayaka's prodding.

"You know," Sayaka says to her when they walk back to the classroom. "I've always wanted a little sister. Or at least a little brother -- Aoi-chan has one." She smiles, but it looks strained. "I'm kind of jealous of you and Naegi-kun."

Mukuro doesn't know what to say to that. "Well," she begins uncertainly. "A lot of little girls look up to you like you're their big sister, don't they? It's not the same thing, but um... you're also making Naegi-kun's little sister happy with your autograph, I bet."

Despite her awkward, unsure words, Sayaka seems to somewhat cheer up at that notion. "I hope I'm making lots of little girls happy," she says. "It's a big reason why I'm an idol in the first place."

"You do, Sayaka-san." Mukuro can attest to that, judging from what she's read on the internet while looking up the idol group. As well as girls in their own age group, and it seems like she isn't the only one who realized she was a lesbian because of Maizono Sayaka either.

During class after lunch break, Mukuro realizes she's forgotten to tell Sayaka about not being able to spend time with her today. She supposes it's fine though, she can tell her friend after class too. It doesn't seem that important anyway.

She has other things on her mind.

Mukuro spends the remaining classes thinking about Junko.

Reminiscing.

 

_-_

 

_All of Mukuro's assumptions about adoption were hopelessly naive, of course._

_She believed it wouldn't take long. Believed Junko would be able to charm her way into someone's heart easily. Her sister would no doubt be able to do that, but the thing is there are no people she can use that charm on._

_It's incredibly stupid, but she just assumed random people would occasionally visit the institution, pick out a child that suits them to adopt after some talking, then leave with them after doing the paperwork. It's not even close to reality._

_She doesn't mind the woefully underequipped staff, that some of the other children are bullies who've tried picking on them -- they quickly learned their lesson though after getting some black eyes -- or even that Junko and her are the only ones whose parents are both dead. In fact, at first she thought this meant the two of them would get adopted quickly, but she was wrong._

_No, the thing that bothers her is that there is no progress. Time passes without anything changing at all. Junko doesn't get closer to her goal, something that she would most definitely be doing if she got adopted by someone. Though maybe that's not entirely true. They do both attend classes, one of the other reasons why she wanted to give themselves up to an orphanage. Junko was upset at first, arguing again that they should leave, but Mukuro eventually managed to convince her that at least some kind of education is necessary for a career as a model._

_Mukuro has learned pretty quickly that 'adoption' is a dirty word. Adoptions are rare, and if she didn't start researching the topic she would think they were non-existent judging from her experiences in this institution, both because the concept of having a child that isn't one's biological child is considered to be shameful and because most so-called 'orphans' here still have at least one parent, if not both of them. Said parents/parent simply either can't afford to take care of the child or at least pretend/pretends they can't, their solution being to let an institution take care of the child instead. There are a lot of other regulations too, but Mukuro feels too intimidated to look through most of it. It's not very relevant to their own situation anyway._

_Usually a relative would take custody of them, but there are none, at least none that she's aware of. The institution is aware of their birth names so surely they've tried to find someone, but had no success. She doesn't like the idea of having to live with someone who is related to them, although she'd take that in favor of continuing to stay in this institution._

_Junko is her only source of happiness here. Without her, Mukuro wouldn't know what to do with herself. Doing whatever her sister tells her to makes her happy, makes her feel like she's doing something important. Something that matters. So when Junko tells her to beat some other child up or to steal something, she does without asking. Even if the child on the receiving end didn't necessarily deserve it, it doesn't matter to her._

_Still, despite the occasional, fleeting happiness the two of them share with each other, Mukuro doesn't know how to change their situation. She desperately tries to think of something at times, but fails every time. At one point, she's sure Junko and her will have to stay here until they both turn eighteen. That no one will ever adopt them, and they'll be cast out on the street again._

_Thankfully, she's wrong._

_She doesn't really understand why, or how her sister has managed to do it, but there's a woman and a man who want to adopt both of them. Obviously it's really Junko they want though. Mukuro is just luggage._

_She is quiet as she listens to Junko do her usual thing and act excessively adorable. Her sister's told her not to act hostile, something that seems pretty obvious to begin with, so she figures staying silent is good enough. She's naturally quiet anyway._

_Mukuro feels a bit of dread when the woman approaches her. It's obvious they'd try to talk to her sooner or later too, but she just wishes they wouldn't pretend to care. It's a waste of time._

_The woman sits down next to her, a what she probably figures to be gentle smile on her face. "Hello Mukuro-chan," she says in a similarly gentle tone. Mukuro is surprised she's using her real name. "Junko-chan has been telling us a lot about you. To be honest, she didn't have to try to convince us to adopt you. Separating twin sisters seems like a bad thing to do, doesn't it?"_

_She's probably expecting a response. "It's very kind of you to adopt me along with my sister," Mukuro says, trying to be as subservient as possible. It's necessary, if infuriating. "Thank you very much."_

_"What a well-mannered child! I believe we'll get along just great. Oh, I brought you something." The woman holds up a black teddy bear. "When I was a little girl, I couldn't sleep without cuddling a plushy. To be honest, I wish adults could do the same without being laughed at sometimes." She whispers the last sentence to her with a conspirational air, probably thinking she's said something funny._

_Mukuro forces herself to smile. Offending their potential parents is a bad idea._

_"I hope you like it. Junko-chan said black was your favorite color, I believe." The woman says, handing her the teddy bear._

_Mukuro takes it, unsure what she's supposed to do with it. Cuddle the thing right now? It seems kind of embarrassing. "It is. Thank you very much." She awkwardly presses the plushy to her body with her right hand._

_There is noise from the direction where Junko and the man are. Junko is holding up a white teddy bear, making it move around and doing funny voices all the while, the man laughing in response._

_Even if it's partly fake, Junko hasn't looked that happy in a long time. Mukuro can't stop herself from smiling genuinely._

_"My husband is very taken with your little sister." The woman comments, her own smile having gotten wider. "So am I."_

_"Junko-chan is really pretty and smart," Mukuro says, even though she knows it's unnecessary to point the obvious out like this. "There isn't a better girl to adopt anywhere."_

_"From what Junko-chan has been telling us, you're very smart too. You have been taking care of her this entire time on your own..." The woman looks sad for some reason, though then she has a smile on her face again. "And you know, now that I see you... I have realized you're just as pretty as your sister!"_

_"What? No, I'm not!" Mukuro protests before she can stop herself. "No one's even close to being as pretty as Junko-chan!"_

_The woman laughs softly. Probably condescendingly. "We have made a smart decision, adopting both of you. I don't think we could keep you apart if we tried."_

_Mukuro feels mortified at her outburst. Stupid. "I'm very sorry for being loud. I won't do it again." She tries to sound apologetic and meek, but her words come out in a flat, lifeless manner._

_The woman looks surprised. "There is no need to apologize for that, Mukuro-chan. You just love your sister. And it's obvious she loves you very much too. She has been talking about you a lot."_

_Mukuro can't help but be interested in that part. "What did she say?"_

_"A lot of things. Let me think." The woman hums thoughtfully. "You protect her from bullies, you push her on the swing, you help her with homework, you let her sleep in your bed at night when she is feeling lonely... oh my!" She puts her hand in front of her mouth all of a sudden. "I really hope I am allowed to say all of that! I have not even asked Junko-chan about it..."_

_"I'm sure Junko-chan wouldn't mind," Mukuro says, knowing it's true. After all, her sister has most likely only told these things to the couple in order manipulate them, make them more likely not to separate the two of them. There is one part she has to correct though. "And... she's actually helping me with my homework more than I help her."_

_The woman frowns at her tone. "There is no need to be ashamed of that, Mukuro-chan. You are just a few hours older than her, you know."_

_"I'm still supposed to be the one helping her. I'm the older sister." Mukuro mutters. She's proud of Junko for being so smart of course, but a part of her feels inadequate because of it._

_"You are in every other way. Junko-chan is very lucky to have an older sister like you."_

_Despite the words being meaningless, coming from a meaningless person, Mukuro finds herself blushing. It's pathetic, but hearing that... makes her happy._

_The woman speaks to her some more, then exchanges places with the man. She does her best to give polite, simple answers. She says the words 'thank you' more than she cares for, but she has to make a good impression. She can't let Junko's hard work be for nothing._

_When the woman and the man leave, Junko makes herself tear up. It never fails to amaze Mukuro how easily her sister can cry on command. She's part of the charade too, comforting Junko in front of these strangers. It feels awkward, putting on an act like this, but she thinks she does a passable enough job._

_"I still don't get how you did that, Junko-chan." Mukuro tells her sister after the couple has left. "Where did you even meet them? Are they even allowed to adopt us?"_

_"They're definitely gonna adopt us. Don't worry about it, Mukuro-chan." Junko answers easily. Then, she tilts her head. "Are you really gonna complain now? Even though you failed to think of anything yourself all this time?"_

_Mukuro recoils as though her sister has just given her a slap in the face. Junko would never do that, of course, but it still feels like one. "I'm so sorry," she mutters. "I tried really hard, Junko-chan..."_

_Junko puts her white teddy bear in front of her face. "Not good enough!" She says in a deliberately high-pitched voice._

_"Stupid, useless Mukuro!"_

* * *

 


	2. Due

* * *

 

"Ikusaba-san?"

Mukuro blinks, snapping out of her memories. She looks at Naegi. "Yes?"

"Uh... it's just that class is over. And you were kinda staring at nothing." Naegi scratches his cheek. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. Don't worry about it."

"Spacing out, sis? That's not like you."

Mukuro turns to her sister's voice, startingly close next to her. "My bad, Junko-chan," she says. "I just had some things on my mind."

Junko gives that fake smile of hers that she constantly uses to charm other people. Her eyes rest on the boy next to her. "Naegi!" She squeals. "Are you looking out for my big sis? That's sooooo sweet of you!"

Naegi's face turns red from embarrassment. "I didn't really do much, Enoshima-san..."

"She's really lucky to have a nice friend like you!" Junko continues, ignoring him. "Why, I bet you're the kinda guy who'd hold a girl's hair back while she throws up!"

Naegi looks bewildered. "I uh... I think so...?"

Mukuro is confused herself, but she's used to Junko saying strange things out of nowhere. "My hair isn't long enough for that to be a problem either way." She points out.

"You'd look cute with long hair!" Junko says. "Wouldn't she look cute with long hair, Naegi?"

Naegi looks like he's about to whirl around and flee, but luckily someone else comes to his aid.

"Mukuro-san would look great with long hair!" Sayaka chirps. "But short hair really suits her too!"

Junko grins at the idol's sudden appearance. "It does, doesn't it? She'd make such a pretty model. You too, Sayaka-chan!"

Sayaka giggles. "Thanks, Junko-chan. If I ever lose my voice, I'll consider that. Are you gonna come watch Mukuro-san with me?"

"Watch what?" Junko asks.

Mukuro realizes she's forgotten about something else too.

"I'm gonna watch her go through one of those training courses," Sayaka answers. "I bet it's really awesome!"

"Actually-" Before Mukuro can say more than that though, Junko interrupts.

"Sounds great! I haven't watched that in a while, but it's always impressive!"

Mukuro looks from Junko to Sayaka, then to Naegi. He looks incredibly intimidated to be in the middle of them, so she feels like she has to say something. "You can come along as well if you want to, Naegi-kun."

Naegi gives her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, but Ishimaru-kun told- _asked_ me to spend the afternoon studying with him."

"Studying is important." Sayaka comments. "It can't be helped, Naegi-kun. Maybe next time!"

"Studying is booooring," Junko complains. "But yeah! It's not like you have a real talent, Naegi! So you gotta keep your grades up!"

Despite the rude, yet true, statement, Naegi smiles in a sort of self-deprecating way. "I'm gonna do my best, Enoshima-san. Thanks!"

"You're such a ray of sunshine!" Junko exclaims. "You're blinding me!"

Naegi lets out a short chuckle, then looks past Junko. Mukuro follows his eyes and spots Ishimaru, who's giving him a look of obvious impatience. "I think I should go before Ishimaru-kun gives me detention. See you all later!"

The three girls give their goodbyes as well.

After the boy is out of earshot, Sayaka looks at Junko with mild disapproval. "That was a mean thing to say to Naegi-kun, Junko-chan." She scolds.

It's true. Junko's insults are usually more subtle than this. And considering she wants their classmates to like her, it's odd for her to do that. Still, it's not the first time she couldn't help but say a rude thing, so it's best not to overanalyze it. Sometimes Junko just does a thing because she feels like it. Besides, Mukuro herself said a rude thing or two to Naegi as well. She didn't try to be mean on purpose, but there is no obvious indication that her sister was trying to be either just now. Is Sayaka a little biased in her favor, maybe? The thought kind of makes her happy.

"I just said it without thinking," Junko says, pouting in a cute way. "Please forgive me, Sayaka-chan?"

Sayaka smiles. "You know I can't be mad at you when you do that, Junko-chan!"

"That's how she got me to do anything she wanted when we were children." Mukuro can't stop herself from commenting.

"That's so cute!" Sayaka exclaims.

Junko has a short look of irritation on her face, before it's replaced with a casual grin. "You're embarrassing me, sis. I'm gonna make you regret that later at the mall!"

"You're going to the mall together?" Sayaka is the one who pouts this time, though it's a playful one. "Without me?"

"I just feel like having my big sis to myself for a day." Junko retorts. "Aww, don't be jealous, Sayaka-chan! You can have her again tomorrow."

"I'm sorry, Sayaka-san," Mukuro interjects. "I forgot to tell you."

"That's fine, Mukuro-san! I hope you two have fun together!"

"You're an angel, Sayaka-chan!" Junko says, almost wistfully. "Anyway, let's go watch my big sister shoot some stuff!"

Mukuro feels a growing sense of nervousness as she leads Junko and Sayaka to the training course, can only faintly hear the two other girls' chatter. She's not afraid of messing up -- she never does -- but the whole thing feels off somehow. She can't explain it herself.

Luckily, the teacher doesn't care that he hasn't been notified of Junko showing up too. Probably because she's her sister, Mukuro isn't sure.

They've changed it again. That's good, she's gotten sick of the last one. Too easy, but then they all are.

Upon being given the signal, Mukuro breaches the door. She shoots the targets with that sorry excuse for a semi-automatic pistol, moves on. She throws the weak flashbang through the next door, shoots the targets inside, spares the hostages like she's supposed to, moves on. She stabs the melee target with her pathetic rubber knife, shoots the other targets, moves on. She shoots, she takes cover, she shoots, she checks her corners, she throws her flashbangs, she shoots and stabs... it's too easy, and she almost feels like she's on autopilot.

When she's told afterwards her performance was exemplary as usual, she accepts the praise with a mild sense of condescension. What does that guy know about her talent anyway? Probably next to nothing, just looking at the times on his chart like the mindless drone that he is.

"That was so awesome!" Sayaka squeals when she returns. "That was seriously the coolest thing I've ever seen, Mukuro-san!"

It's kind of strange, someone being this impressed by her when she felt nothing but boredom herself. "Thank you, Sayaka-san. These training courses are kind of unimpressive though." It's petty, but she feels she has to mention that.

"Mukuro-chan probably just wants a real gun and a real knife," Junko comments. "Feels different than that fake stuff, she says."

"It's a very high quality equipment they have here, at least." Mukuro admits.

"That's Hope's Peak for you!" Sayaka says. She glances over to the training course thoughtfully. "Still, even if it's not a real gun it's pretty cool. I kind of wanna go through that thing too. It looks fun."

"Same! Leave it to me!" Junko declares, practically skipping to the teacher. Mukuro and Sayaka watch her trying to talk the guy into letting them all on the course together.

She succeeds, of course, though not entirely. Junko and Sayaka aren't allowed to run through the entire course, but they're free to stay in the first area and attempt shooting the targets there.

"Um, don't we need safety gear for shooting?" Sayaka asks, holding the gun awkwardly in her hands.

"Usually you would, but this is just an airsoft gun." Mukuro says, looking at the thing with mild distaste.

"Right, you mentioned that..."

"Also, keep the gun pointed down. The way you're holding it can be dangerous if it goes off."

Sayaka smiles in an impish sort of way. "I thought it was just an airsoft gun."

Mukuro frowns. "Yes, but it's a good thing to keep in mind anyway."

"Mukuro-chan is annoyed you aren't taking this seriously enough." Junko tells Sayaka, snickering, though much to Mukuro's satisfaction she keeps her own gun pointed downwards anyway. She's already taught her sister proper gun safety, and she's glad the lesson stuck.

"Sorry, Mukuro-san." Sayaka says sheepishly. "I'm gonna take this more seriously now, honest."

"It's fine," Mukuro mutters, embarrassed at being irritated by something as silly as that. "Anyway, never point your gun at anyone either, even if you think it's unloaded. Accidents happen very easily. Not to mention, it's a crime in some nations to point your gun at other people, unloaded or not."

"I'm not planning on ever holding a real gun, but that's good to know." Sayaka says. She points her gun towards the target range.

Mukuro looks Sayaka over. Surprisingly, she's holding the gun almost perfectly, but her stance could use some work. "Put your left leg ahead of your right leg a bit," she instructs. "No, not by that much. Yes, this is fine. Extend your right arm until it's fully stretched. Bend your left arm. Yes, good. Try shooting the target on the balcony. Aim for the chest."

Sayaka fires, hitting the target's leg. "I missed," she mutters, sounding annoyed with herself. "Sorry, Mukuro-san."

"That was good for your first try, Sayaka-san. A lot of people can't hit the target at all." Mukuro says.

They both turn to Junko when the latter fires, hitting her own target right in the forehead. "Headshot!" She cheers, grinning at them. "Don't feel bad though, Sayaka-chan! I've done this before."

"Junko-chan is a really good shot." Mukuro adds, looking at her sister's perfect stance with a smile. "She would be as good as me if she really tried."

Junko's talent really is amazing, she hit every target on her first attempt when first trying it a couple of months back. Having these analytical abilities is hard to comprehend for Mukuro, but it mostly just seems to mean her sister is really good at basically everything when she makes an effort to be. Just watching Mukuro shoot for a while was enough for Junko to figure everything out.

It's too bad it also causes her so much boredom, but that's something Mukuro doesn't want to think about right now.

"You're too good at too many things!" Sayaka complains, though she's grinning herself. "I dare you to shoot them all in the head, Junko-chan!"

Five shots follow, all of them ending up in the the targets' foreheads. "You were saying, Sayaka-chan?" Junko asks the idol smugly.

"You weren't kidding, Mukuro-san!" Sayaka huffs. "But you're getting too arrogant, Junko-chan. I'm gonna score a headshot too." She points her gun at the nearest target and, after a few seconds, fires, which is immediately followed by a frustrated noise. "Missed again!"

"You hit the chest though. That's good." Mukuro praises.

Sayaka purses her lips. "It's not good to hit something I wasn't aiming at!"

"Well, that's true." Mukuro concedes. "Still, it was closer than before. You're improving."

"I'm glad." Sayaka says, a smile on her face. "This is fun, Mukuro-san. Thanks for letting me watch you. And thanks for convincing the teacher to let us shoot, Junko-chan!"

"Would you be mad if I told you I just did it to kick your ass at the shooting range?" Junko asks innocently.

Sayaka laughs. "You're terrible!"

Junko gasps in mock outrage. "Who's the mean one now?! You're just jealous!"

"I totally am, but you're still terrible!"

Junko turns to Mukuro, that cute pout on her face again. "Do you think I'm terrible, sis?"

Sayaka does the exact same thing, with an almost identical pout. "Do you think I'm a liar, Mukuro-san?"

Mukuro both feels her face heat up and a flash of panic, but manages to suppress at least the latter. "Please leave me out of this." She mumbles, staring at the floor instead.

"I so won that one." Junko says.

"You so did not!" Sayaka protests.

They continue in this fashion, and Mukuro feels a slow sense of warmth while watching them. Her sister and the girl she's in love with joking around with each other and getting along. She knows the two of them are friends, of course, but hasn't ever actually been with both of them at the same time. It's nice.

It almost feels as though Junko is being genuine. And... a part of her is, but...

Mukuro sighs. This isn't the time to think about that kind of stuff. Why can't she just enjoy the current situation without doubting and worrying?

Eventually, Sayaka even manages to shoot one of them in the head, enthusiastically stating that's where she was trying to aim as well. Junko teases her about it, expressing doubts at her honesty, but Mukuro knows Sayaka is telling the truth. Her sister does too, she can tell.

"You might be able to challenge me in ten years, Sayaka-chan." Junko muses when they're leaving. "If you're lucky, that is."

"I totally aimed for the head!" Sayaka insists again. "You're so mean, Junko-chan. Admit it, you're actually kinda impressed!"

"I'll admit it if you admit I'm the Queen of the shooting range."

"No, that's Mukuro-san!"

Junko scoffs. "She doesn't count. She's the Ultimate Soldier! Of course she's the best."

"I was impressed by you, Sayaka-san." Mukuro feels she has to mention that, blushing just a little at all the praise she's receiving. She really enjoyed watching Sayaka shoot... but that's weird, probably.

"Thanks, Mukuro-san! You were the most impressive one today though!"

Mukuro makes a vague gesture resembling a shrug. "I'm the Ultimate Soldier, like Junko-chan said. It's not any more amazing than your perfect singing."

"It kind of is," Sayaka argues. "But thanks for the compliment. At least I'll always be better at singing than you, Junko-chan!"

"It'd be sad if there wasn't anything at all!" Junko teases right back. "Hey, Sayaka-chan, did you know? Mukuro-chan is actually a pretty good singer!"

Sayaka gives her an amazed look, and Mukuro can feel her cheeks burning. "Junko-chan, I asked you not to tell that to anyone..." She rebukes her sister weakly.

"Aww, I'm sorry! Totally slipped my mind!" Junko sounds so insincere that Mukuro actually starts pouting herself for once.

"I wanna hear you sing, Mukuro-san! But I'm guessing you wouldn't want to, right?" Sayaka sounds so disappointed, but she can't bring herself to agree. It's too embarrassing.

"I'm sorry," Mukuro mumbles. "I don't like singing in front of other people."

"Just in front of me!" Junko corrects.

"I'm gonna make it my life's ambition to hear you sing, Mukuro-san!" Sayaka promises with utmost seriousness.

"You'll die in despair." Junko says, grinning.

"We'll see about that!" Sayaka gives her sister a challenging look. "You shouldn't underestimate how determined I can be, Junko-chan. I'm the Ultimate Idol for a reason!"

"Big words, Sayaka-chan!" Junko's grin gets wider at Sayaka's boasting. "I almost think you can back them up too!"

They both look at Mukuro. "Please leave me out of it." She mumbles, feeling an odd sense of déjà vu. No, wait, it's not a déjà vu if it only happened a few minutes ago

Someone's phone suddenly rings. Judging from the song, she assumes it's Junko's. She's proven right when her sister takes her phone out and excuses herself for a minute.

"Your little sister is a cruel girl," Sayaka says once Junko disappears around the corner. "But it's impossible not to like her anyway."

Mukuro smiles. "I liked spending time with the two of you together." She feels kind of embarrassed as soon as she says the sentence.

"If the three of us ever go to that mall together, it'll blow your mind!" Sayaka declares, returning her smile. Then, her face changes. "Hey, Mukuro-san... are you wearing make-up again?"

"Yes. I believe Junko-chan wanted me to look good for our visit to the mall." Mukuro explains. Junko probably just did it on a whim, but she thinks it sounds like a good excuse. "It's not a big deal."

"But you don't like wearing it." Sayaka says, looking at her with concern. "You know, I really don't think Junko-chan would mind if you just told her."

"We've talked about this already, haven't we?" Mukuro mutters, feeling annoyed. Junko just wants her to look good, doesn't she? Why would she ruin her sister's good mood by bringing up anything pointless like that? Sayaka doesn't know what she's talking about. "I will tell her, just not now."

"I could-"

"Stop being so pushy!" Mukuro snaps. "It's not your business, so leave it be already."

Sayaka looks shocked at her outburst. "I'm sorry, Mukuro-san," she says in a quiet voice. "I was just worried. I don't want you to be uncomfortable, that's all..."

Mukuro feels ashamed of raising her voice like that, but she doesn't think she's in the wrong here. "It's fine," she says. "But if I don't want to talk about something, you shouldn't push me like this."

"Yes, you're right. I'm sorry..."

An uncomfortable silence lingers.

When Junko comes back though, she's either oblivious to the tension in the air or ignores it, probably the latter, continuing to chat with Sayaka cheerfully, the latter of whom tries her best to keep up, but can't stop herself from giving Mukuro a meek look from time to time.

Mukuro herself stays mostly silent, her mood soured considerably.

When Junko and her say their goodbyes though, she tries her best to give Sayaka an encouraging smile.

When Sayaka returns it, she feels a bit better.

 

-

 

Mukuro doesn't particularly care for the mall.

It's loud, crowded, and lots of people stop her sister to ask for an autograph or just gawk at her. When the fourth boy in a row awkwardly tries to hit on Junko, Mukuro seriously considers grabbing him and kicking him down the nearby escalator. Junko is wearing her hair in a ponytail, and at first she assumed it was to stop all those things from happening, but she supposes her sister is too popular for that to fool anyone. The ponytail probably was just a stylistic choice, not a way to mask her identity.

People are so inconsiderate. Do they ever stop to think that maybe a celebrity might just want to shop in peace? True, Junko does like the attention to an extent, but by the time the twentieth person shyly asks her if she really is _the_ Enoshima Junko, she's obviously getting irritated as well.

They manage to escape all those annoying people eventually, ending up in one of Junko's favorite clothing stores.

Junko steps out of the changing room, wearing a violet cardigan. She strikes a pose. "How do I look?"

"You look beautiful." Mukuro answers.

Junko rolls her eyes. "You always say that! Don't you have anything else to say?"

Mukuro tries to think. "It... really goes well with your skirt?"

Junko gives her a look. "Are you just guessing that or actually saying it?"

"I believe this kind of violet goes well with this kind of gray..." Mukuro mumbles. "I'm not sure though."

"Well, good enough!" Junko shrugs. "Looks like you _do_ pay some attention." She unbuttons the cardigan and fumbles around with it a bit. "How does it make my boobs look though?"

"I... can't answer that..."

"Geez Mukuro-chan! We're sisters! You can totally look at my boobs and admit they look great! Y'know, like, in a sisterly way!"

"That sounds really weird, Junko-chan..."

"God, sis, you're such a prude!" Junko snickers. "How are you ever gonna get to third base with-"

"Stop!" Mukuro blurts out, feeling as though she's gonna pass out. "Just... don't..."

Junko sighs. "You seriously need to lighten up, sis. Come on, I was just kidding."

"It's not funny..."

"Geez Mukuro-chan, you're way too easy to upset." Junko sulks. "I was just messing around. Don't be mad. Pleeeeease?"

Mukuro smiles in spite of herself. How can she be mad when Junko is acting in such an adorable way? "It's fine," she mumbles. "Just go easy on me, please."

"I will, I will. Promise!" Junko hums. "Now does it make my boobs look amazing or what?" Mukuro gives her a half-hearted glare. "Geez, I'm just kidding! I'm gonna try something else on!" She disappears in the changing room again.

Mukuro likes looking at her sister in various outfits, though she's not really good at giving constructive criticism, or say anything else apart from: 'It looks nice'. She's been getting better at that though.

Well, it's probably alright. Junko seems to be enjoying herself despite the lackluster comments. Mukuro is having fun herself as well.

Junko is done with the trying on clothes bit after she pronounces a pink sweater as 'boring, but in an interesting way'. Mukuro doesn't know what that means, nor does she ask. Junko's own clothes consist of her usual black boots, a navy blue skirt and a yellow cardigan above a white shirt. Or blouse, Mukuro isn't sure and doesn't want to ask. She's wearing the outfit from Saturday herself, having figured it's a safe option. Besides, she actually thinks she looks alright in that black/green combination.

In the end, there are a quite a few clothes to buy, and she's glad to have brought a lot of money with her today as well. Shopping for clothes with her sister is always expensive.

"I had to resist really hard to make you put on stuff too, y'know?" Junko says while they're standing on the escalator leading to her sister's favorite café. "That's for when Sayaka-chan is here too!"

"I'm looking forward to it." Mukuro says, and she isn't lying. Well, she isn't looking forward to the trying on clothes thing, but everything else seems fine. She was kind of dreading going to the mall with both Junko and Sayaka before, but now she believes it might be fun after all.

In the café, Junko proceeds to order some strange type of coffee Mukuro has difficulty pronouncing. She orders green tea for herself.

"Always green tea. Boring." Junko criticizes her, then starts lightly blowing on her coffee.

"I like it."

"Variety is the spice of life, Mukuro-chan." Junko drinks from her cup, then licks the foam around her mouth off. "I bet Sayaka-chan's told you that already, hasn't she?"

"She has," Mukuro says. "How did you know?"

Junko winks at her. "I'm psychic."

Mukuro can barely stop herself from rolling her eyes. "I suppose she just says it a lot, then."

"Alright, alright!" Junko rolls her eyes, not being the kind of person to refrain from doing so. "Can we stop talking about your precious Sayaka-chan? Geez Mukuro-chan, it's like you're in love with her or something!" She snickers.

Mukuro is pretty sure Junko is the one who brought Sayaka up, but doesn't bother correcting that.

They finish their beverages while Junko talks about whatever is on her mind, which is a lot. Mukuro tries her best not to be boring and stupid.

She is glad her sister seems to be in such high spirits today.

Afterwards, Junko wants to go inside the mall's jewelry shop. Mukuro has nothing against the idea, though she hopes she will have enough money if her sister decides to buy something there. She should have enough money for most things, but it's best not to waste it even if one has a lot.

Though then again, Junko pretty much always just looks at the jewelry there without buying anything. Clothes are really the only thing her sister spends a lot of money on, which makes sense considering they're her biggest passion. Back when they were living on the streets, there were a lot of things she wanted to have, but the two of them had to use what little money they could steal on necessities instead of fancy stuff.

Junko often used to stand in front of all kinds of shops, looking at the items there almost mournfully, swearing to Mukuro that one day they'd be able to afford any luxury on the planet. It might seem odd for her to spend her money carefully, on anything except clothes, because of that, but Mukuro supposes it's just that Junko retained most of their old spending habits, perhaps subconsciously.

Mukuro is filled with sadness at the thought. She has enough money. Her sister should be able to get whatever she wants. There is nothing too expensive for Junko.

So when Junko keeps glancing at a pair of ruby earrings, then informs her she's been looking enough and is ready to leave, Mukuro can't help herself. After they leave the shop and walk a bit, she excuses herself to go to the bathroom.

She goes back inside the jewelry shop and buys the earrings as a surprise for later instead. She's sure they will look lovely on her sister.

Their day at the mall slowly comes to an end. There are a few more people who annoy Junko, but not many enough to make Mukuro consider murder again, something she's thankful for.

The last place they go to is the arcade. Mukuro doesn't really like video games, or it's more accurate to say she hasn't ever bothered playing them, but Junko loves them, especially enjoys shooting games and shouting profanities during them.

"Die, you rancid shithead!" Junko yells, her face full of childish glee, swinging her controller around like she's trying to club someone to death.

Some people are staring, but Junko doesn't mind at all. Mukuro once asked her if the Ultimate Fashionista should really act like that in public -- not one of her better ideas -- but Junko informed her since she's a Gyaru she's not expected to act all sweet and demure like some other models are.

Mukuro thinks she's still kind of overdoing it, but Junko would know better than her.

After Junko is done, having beaten the high-score even, she turns to Mukuro expectantly. "Can you beat that, sis?"

"I don't really like these kind of games." Mukuro says. "They're-"

"Not realistic and making a mockery of real warfare, I know!" Junko imitates her flat tone mockingly, rolling her eyes. "God, can you stop being an absolute bore for once? Just play the game!"

It's the first time Junko's gotten angry with her today, and Mukuro cringes. "Alright, Junko-chan. I will." She takes the controller and plays the game herself.

It's ridiculous, of course. Stupid and unrealistic, but with Junko jumping up and down next to her, pointing at things and shouting at her in excitement, it's impossible not to enjoy herself.

She does a well enough job, but doesn't manage to beat the high-score. She's glad for it too, considering Junko doesn't like losing.

"Close, but not quite!" Junko pats her on the back. "Maybe I should give you some pointers."

"You're really good at this kind of game, Junko-chan."

"Too good! Nothing is a challenge." Junko sighs. "Well, you did come pretty close. Makes sense, I guess. Shooting fake or real people is probably all the same to you, huh?"

"Real people don't bleed nearly as much from getting shot, usually." Mukuro answers.

Junko opens her mouth, but before she can say anything another voice interrupts them.

"You're Enoshima Junko!"

They turn to a boy who looks like he's their age. Her sister immediately puts on a saccharine smile. "I sure am! Do you want an autograph?"

"More like your phone number!" The boy answers.

Mukuro grits her teeth.

"How bold!" Junko gasps in mock surprise.

The boy seems to take that as a positive reaction. He smiles, in a disgustingly arrogant sort of way. "I'm the kind of man who isn't intimidated by celebrities."

"That's _really_ impressive!"

Mukuro knows Junko is making fun of this guy of course, but she can't stand the look of his irritating smirk. "Look," she says, forcing the anger to stay out of her voice. "She isn't searching for a date. I think you should leave."

The boy glances at her, like he's looking at an annoying distraction. "I think Enoshima-chan can decide that on her own."

She can't believe how disrespectful this boy is acting, but forces herself to stay quiet. Her sister can handle this by herself.

"I'm _so_ sorry!" Junko says, her face growing somber. "But I have a policy against dating weird douchebags who come onto me in arcades. If only you'd have picked any other spot!"

Mukuro tries not to feel too much immature satisfaction at seeing the boy's confidence crumble like dirt. "You're not even that pretty!" He says, his face red with either anger or embarrassment, probably both. "Besides, I wouldn't want to date a bitch anyway!"

Mukuro takes a step forward, ready to inflict pain, but Junko glances at her out of the corner of her eye and she stops. Her sister isn't done with this idiot yet, it seems.

Junko pouts at him. "Why are you being _so_ mean? I just wanted you to ask me outside of the arcade. Do you wanna go out there and try again?"

Either the boy is really stupid or Junko is just that convincing. He gets a confused look on his face, but smiles pleasantly. "Yeah, sure! Sorry for insulting you, I guess."

Junko bursts out laughing. "God, I can't believe you fell for that! Guys are really clueless, aren't they?" She sighs. "Let's go, Mukuro-chan. The arcade suddenly smells really bad!"

When they turn to leave though, the boy makes his most foolish mistake as of yet. He touches Junko's shoulder to keep her from leaving.

Before she realizes it, Mukuro is twisting the offending arm behind his back and forces him on his knees. "You don't touch my sister," she spits the word out venomously, applying more pressure to his arm for emphasis. " _Ever_. Keep your filthy hands to yourself. Do you understand?"

The boy is nodding frantically.

"Then apologize to her. Right now."

He chokes the words out quickly. "I'm sorry, Enoshima-san. I'm sorry!"

"Aww, no harm done, right?" Junko says cheerfully.

Mukuro lets him go, but not without giving him a push that sends him to the ground first. He scrambles away and out of the arcade.

She looks at their surroundings. "People are staring, Junko-chan. I think we should go."

"Sure!" Junko beams. "I've already gotten enough entertainment out of today!"

When they exit the mall, Junko takes Mukuro's right hand in her left one, locking their fingers together and giving her a big grin.

There's no need for words. Mukuro grins as well, squeezing her sister's hand.

She feels so full of love for Junko at this moment that she wouldn't be able to express it in words if anyone forced her to describe it at gunpoint.

They hold hands all the way back to school.

 

-

 

Junko falls on her bed after they enter her room, laughing. "Did you see that guy's _face_? It's like you hit him with a fucking truck!"

"I wish I would have." Mukuro says, causing her sister to laugh harder. She smiles, glancing at the shopping bag. "Do you want me to fold the clothes properly?"

"Nah, I'm gonna do that tomorrow myself. I wanna try some of them on again though."

Junko usually does that after buying clothes, so it doesn't come as a surprise to Mukuro. She isn't sure why she always asks that unnecessary question. Although there is something she has to do before that.

"Um, Junko-chan? Before you try them on..." She fumbles around in her right pocket, then takes the ruby earrings out. She presents her sister with them. "I bought these for you... they should fit you perfectly. I hope you like them."

Junko looks at the earrings, her face slowly lighting up. "Aww, Mukuro-chan! You shouldn't have!"

"You deserve it, Junko-chan." Mukuro mumbles. "You deserve the most expensive earrings in the entire world, but I hope these will do..."

"Put them on me!" Junko says eagerly, facing towards the mirror. "Come on, sis. I wanna see!"

Mukuro does so, carefully. She was right, they fit perfectly.

Junko admires herself in the mirror, from every possible angle. "I love them!" She declares eventually.

"You look incredible." Mukuro compliments her sister with a bright smile. The rubies remind her of Junko's past hair color.

"Aww, Mukuro-chan. You shouldn't have." Junko repeats her words from before, still looking at her own reflection in the mirror. She turns to the side and hugs her. "You've been such a great big sister lately! Geez, how am I gonna reward you for that?"

"You don't have to," Mukuro assures her, heart fluttering at the praise. She hugs her sister back as tightly as she can without hurting her. "Just seeing you happy is more than I could ever ask for."

Junko snickers. "You're so corny, Mukuro-chan, but it's kind of cute so I'll allow it! Anyway, I'm gonna try on my clothes now. Let's see how they look combined with those earrings!"

It never gets boring watching Junko put on her clothes and pose in them. She feels bad she doesn't have much to say except telling her sister how beautiful she is over and over, though she does manage to say something longer and even semi-coherent once in a while.

Junko ends her personal fashion show with the 'boring but interesting' pink sweater again, then asks her -- actually asks her -- to leave since she wants to go take a shower now.

"I should take one too." Mukuro says. She pauses, feeling sad at the prospect of this day coming to an end, then shyly makes a request. "Do you think I could come back after that? Do you mind if I sleep next to you again, Junko-chan? I've really missed doing that..."

"Y'know, sis..." Junko's lips curl up. "I was just about to ask you the same!"

Mukuro's own lips curl up as well in response. "Thank you, Junko-chan." Neither of them really asked the other one yesterday, the sleeping next to each other thing just kind of happened,

Junko rolls her eyes. "Yeah, yeah! Go shower first though. I'm not letting anyone who's smelly lie next to me!"

Mukuro obeys. Her sister takes a long time for showering, so she borrows Junko's key to get into her room after she's done with her own shower instead of having to wait half an hour outside. When she goes to her dorm room though, she sees some medical supplies neatly arranged in front of the door.

Tsumiki.

Mukuro realizes she's completely forgotten about exchanging bandages today. She takes out her phone. Two messages.

 **Sayaka-chan:** hey mukuro-san! hope you and junko-chan have lots of fun at the mall today! give her my regards :D

Mukuro smiles at Sayaka's message, but Tsumiki's is more important right now.

 **Tsumiki-san:** Um... you didn't show up today, Ikusaba-san. I-It's fine, I'm sure you had better things to do. I put the medical supplies in front of your door. I-I really hope no one steals them... if it's not too much trouble, can you answer this text message if you don't hate me? If you do hate me, f-feel free to ignore it.

Mukuro writes something back, feeling guilty. She was supposed to apologize to Tsumiki for accidentally talking about her romantic orientation as well...

 **Mukuro:** I'm really sorry, Tsumiki-san. I spent the day with my sister and forgot about it, I suppose. Thank you for bringing the supplies to my door. I'm in your debt. I don't hate you at all. You're a good friend.

Her message feels lacking, but it's the best she can do. She types another one to Sayaka.

 **Mukuro:** Thank you, Sayaka-san. We had a lot of fun, I didn't even see your message until now. I will give your regards to Junko-chan .

She takes a quick shower, impatient to get back to her sister's room. She brushes her teeth and changes into her nightwear, then takes care of her injuries and puts on the new bandages. Hopefully it's the last time she has to wear them.

She goes back to her sister's room, sitting down on the bed while waiting for Junko's shower to be over.

When Junko walks out of her bathroom, hair still moist, Mukuro smiles at the sight. "You're wearing your hair down." She says, delighted.

"That's usually the case after washing it, sis." Junko answers in a flat tone.

"You're right, of course." Mukuro feels stupid. "It's just that you look really pretty with your hair down. Even prettier than usual. Which is a lot, because you're really beautiful."

Junko smiles, bemused by her embarrassing rambling. "You'd think getting told I'm beautiful so many times may get old sooner or later, but it doesn't!"

"That's because you're so beautiful words can't describe it." Mukuro mumbles, self-conscious at how sentimental she's being but not being able to help it.

"Oh, I like that! Nice reasoning!" Junko snickers, but looks annoyed when Mukuro's phone buzzes. "Is that Sayaka-chan?"

"Either her or Tsumiki-san." Mukuro says, taking out her phone. "By the way, Sayaka-san told me to give you her regards."

"How sweet of her! What do you mean, 'Tsumiki-san'?" Junko gives her a look. "You kept in contact with my cute little nurse? I didn't know that."

"Oh, um..." Mukuro blinks. "I forgot to tell you, I suppose. She's been changing my bandages, and we decided to exchange phone numbers."

"Is that so?" Junko's voice sounds odd, but Mukuro can't place the emotion. When she looks down on her phone to see who sent her the message, her sister huffs. "I thought you wanted to spend time with your little sister, but if you're too busy looking at your phone instead you can leave."

Mukuro feels cold all of a sudden. "I'm sorry, Junko-chan. Here, I'm turning off the phone. See?" She does.

Junko's face turns expressionless. "Was that an apology, sis? Didn't I tell you to cut that out?"

"I... I'm so- I mean-" Mukuro tries to think of something, barely able to believe she's messed up like this. "I wasn't... I-"

"First you're acting like your stupid friends are more important than me, now you're disobeying me directly. Way to ruin a nice day with your stupidity, Mukuro-chan." Junko mutters, sitting down on her bed, not looking at her.

"They're not more important than you! They don't matter!" Mukuro insists. "And- and I wasn't trying to do that. Please forgive me, Junko-chan."

Junko stays silent for a minute, but then scoots over to where Mukuro is sitting and grins at her. "Y'know what? You've done such a good job entertaining me today that I'm gonna let it slide just this once!"

A feeling of pure relief envelops Mukuro. "Thank you, Junko-chan," she says, feeling something hot in her eyes. "I love you so much."

Junko takes her head and gently places it in her lap. "You're such a stupid idiot," she mutters, sighing. "But you're _my_ stupid idiot. I love you too."

"Please say it again..." Mukuro whispers, now openly crying. She's glad she's facing away, that her sister can't see it.

Junko kisses her hair, then whispers the next words as well. "I love you, Mukuro-chan. You're my stupid idiot. You're mine."

"I am," Mukuro agrees, suppressing the urge to sniffle. "I love you, Junko-chan."

"You're what?" Junko questions.

"I'm yours." Mukuro answers.

They stay like this for a long time.

When it's time to go to sleep, it's Mukuro who is in Junko's position from yesterday, her sister being the one to gently stroke her hair instead.

"Junko-chan?" She whispers a few minutes after cuddling like this, knowing her sister isn't asleep yet.

"Yeah?" Junko's voice is a quiet murmur.

Mukuro pauses. She wants to say a lot of things, but it's probably best to keep it simple. She hugs her sister tighter. "This was the happiest day of my life. Thank you."

Junko doesn't answer.

Though... she does eventually. Barely noticeable, sounding almost hollow, but Mukuro's hearing is good enough to pick it up.

She believes she might have imagined it afterwards... Junko's strange, faintly whispered words, almost an hour later.

"I wish I..."

There is more Junko says, but Mukuro doesn't quite understand it.

She falls asleep soon afterwards.

 

_-_

 

_"Ugh, it's just so annoying!"_

_"Well... it was obvious they wouldn't change our names, Junko-chan. Please don't be upset over that. We'll do that later on our own."_

_"I thought I could talk them into it! Besides, they totally did change our last name to theirs!"_

_"Well... that's a given when you adopt kids, I think? Also the reasons they gave made sense... and they agreed to keep calling us by our real names when there isn't anyone else around."_

_"I don't care! Stop defending them! Otonashi Ryouko sounds really dumb!"_

_"I'm sorry, Junko-chan. I'm just trying to explain-"_

_"Otonashi Mitsuko sounds even dumber! How are you okay with that?!"_

_"I'm not, but there's nothing we can do for now. We'll change it later."_

_"Do you promise, Mukuro-chan?"_

_"I promise. The whole world's gonna know you as Enoshima Junko."_

_"And only I'm ever gonna know you as Ikusaba Mukuro, since you're never gonna be popular! That's enough though, isn't it?"_

_"It's enough. You're the only one who matters, Junko-chan."_

_"I really like when you say that... say it again."_

_"You're the only one who matters, Junko-chan."_

_"... I love you, Mukuro-chan."_

_"I love you too."_

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not really a lot of Ikuzono this chapter, but I said before that the Mukuro/Junko relationship is very important for this series too. I'm sorry, Sayaka! But hey, this was pretty happy, wasn't it? ... I'll leave before there are bricks thrown my way.
> 
> I've tried making it so the flashbacks don't contradict canon, but I might have messed it up! Even if it does contradict canon, I don't think it's a big deal. For example, according to canon Komaeda wouldn't be around at that time to talk to Mukuro, but I'm pretending a lot of DR3 doesn't exist so there!
> 
> REAL fanfic authors contradict canon when they feel like it. That's something a Wise Woman once said. (the Wise Woman is me)
> 
> Also, you might have noticed that this isn't even tagged as Ikuzono! That's both because it'd feel strange tagging it as such when there's barely any in it, and also because let's be honest ikuzonos deserves to get the 100th Ikuzono fic. (if they decide to write it and no one else does before them, of course!) 
> 
> Edit: That's weird, it says there are only 98 Ikuzono fics on AO3 right now even though it said 99 just before. Well, whatever! I'll stand by my reasoning!


End file.
